Effects in film...

As a task we were asked to find an image within film, a magazine or an original picture you had taken yourself - and then analyse the use of camera angle and their connotations. This was to help us understand how the industry uses certain ways of displaying a subject to stimulate the right emotions within their audience, also it will be useful knowledge when we start to create the basic story board for our short film.

I chose an image which i find particularly powerful, i feel it really gives you an insight to the character. It is taken from one of my all time favorites 'Shawshank Redemption'. 

final shot in the escape sequence - 'birds eye view'

- light fills his figure, hardly any of him is in shadow/ shows the purity of his character - pure of heart

- natural weather- the rain indicates his release back to nature and a real way of life

- shots main lighting is from the flash of lightning - maybe representing the danger he has gone through to escape

- looking down on the character as though the view is 'heaven' - gives the sense that the audience helped set him free 

- no barriers within the shot/ just water in an open space - water showing his new flow of life, without restraint 

- his arms are stretched to the heavens - the stretch showing his freedom, his body and mind is no longer trapped

Camera Angles...

In class we looked at the different types of camera angles used within film and photography, we then went into the grounds taking examples of each shot that we looked at in basic form..

here are some of my favorites..

'birds eye view' shot
 - quite an unnerving shot, gives the impression that she is scared and lost
-gives the impression that she is being watched perhaps, close to danger/ close camera angle

'over shoulder' shot
- gives the impression that he is lonely/ maybe searching for something
- use of open landscape within the background/ suggesting maybe looking for freedom
- dark cloths maybe represents his repression 

'two shot'
- gives an uncomfortable feeling to the audience/ barriers between them
- use of tables may suggest that there are things blocking their friendship
- clear divide between them/ parts of their faces cut out of the shot, perhaps showing that they  are missing something or part of themselves

Connotation and Denotation..

In our first lesson we looked though our course guidelines, giving us an idea of what is to come. We then focused on 'connotation and denotation' and their importance when analysing media texts.

Denotation - the explicit or direct meaning rather than by suggestion (exactly what you see).

Connotation - A description of value, meaning or ideology associated with a media text. (why ?).

We were then asked to look at an advert finding the 'connotation and denotation' of the mise-en-scene. I chose to analysis one on the classic Levi adverts from the 1980's.

    

I looked at four specific areas, location, costumes, props and lighting. It was interesting to see how older adverts had the same effect and very common ideas on how to sell to the public as we do these days. This advert centers on the idea that sex appeal will sell, which is a very well used theme within the market today. 

Location

- laundrette/ 1950's amercia - retro to relate to the selling point that these are levi's 'orignal' shrink to fit jeans

- working class - anybody can wear them, you don't have to be wealth to look 'this good'.

Costumes

- main male/ dark colours, tight fitting t-shirt - bad boy/rebel image, appealing - also shows its relation to the younger generation

- females/ light colours, whites and pale colours - image of purity perhaps 

Props

- the use of the stones in the washer- ironic as they are advertising the style of 'stone washed jeans'

- fan/ steam through the shot - adds heat, tension 

Lighting

- dank lighting used on male, leaving face in shadow- adds to the mystery of the character, creating this rebel image again appealing sexually 

- females remain in the light- showing they have not be corrupted yet, but this man is a temptation 

Extras

- the use of red is a theme through out the advert, ie. the red on the young boys hats, adverts through out the luandrette - linking to the iconic red 'levi' label which is shown at the end

- there are may close up shots of the jeans - show casing them, advertising there appeal 

- main character through out the advert, attracts everyones attention which are main female based, advertises that if you wear these jeans and portray this image you will have women lusting after you

- two shot image of the older man and the main character - shows the juxtaposition between the two men, highlighting the appeal of the main character